U.S. patent application number 12/534472 was filed with the patent office on 2010-02-11 for automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly.
Invention is credited to Edward Holbus.
Application Number | 20100031459 12/534472 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41651573 |
Filed Date | 2010-02-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100031459 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Holbus; Edward |
February 11, 2010 |
Automatic Vehicle Washing Apparatus Wash Brush Assembly
Abstract
An automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly
includes a drive shaft having a longitudinal shaft axis. At least
two disks extend radially relative to the shaft axis and are spaced
along the shaft axis. One of the disks has a first through hole
spaced radially from the shaft axis. The through hole is formed
substantially parallel to the shaft axis and is aligned with a
corresponding hole formed in a second disk adjacent the one of the
disks. A rod extending through the through holes is fixed relative
to the shaft axis. The rod extends through a loop fixed to a wash
strip to fix the wash strip relative to the shaft axis.
Inventors: |
Holbus; Edward; (Racine,
WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
QUARLES & BRADY LLP
411 E. WISCONSIN AVENUE, SUITE 2040
MILWAUKEE
WI
53202-4497
US
|
Family ID: |
41651573 |
Appl. No.: |
12/534472 |
Filed: |
August 3, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61086349 |
Aug 5, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
15/97.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60S 3/06 20130101; A46B
2200/3046 20130101; B60S 3/063 20130101; A46B 13/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/97.3 |
International
Class: |
B60S 3/00 20060101
B60S003/00 |
Claims
1. An automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly
comprising: a drive shaft having a longitudinal shaft axis; at
least two axially spaced disks extending radially relative to said
shaft axis and fixed relative to said drive shaft, one of said
disks having a first through hole spaced radially from said shaft
axis, said first through hole being formed substantially parallel
to said shaft axis and aligned with a corresponding hole formed in
a second disk adjacent said one of said disks; a rod extending
through said through holes and being removably relative to said
shaft axis; and a wash strip fixed to a loop, said rod extending
through said loop to fix said wash strip relative to said shaft
axis.
2. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 1, in which said drive shaft extends through a center
aperture formed in one of said disks, and said shaft supports said
disk.
3. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 2, in which a hub joins said one of said disks to said
drive shaft.
4. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 1, in which said wash strip is fixed to one side of a
substrate and said loop is fixed to an opposite side of said
substrate.
5. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 4, in which a plurality of wash strips are fixed to said
one side of said substrate and a plurality of loop are fixed to
said opposite side of said substrate, and at least some of said
plurality of loops receive a rod therethrough to fix said wash
strips relative to said shaft axis.
6. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 1, in which said loop is fixed to one end of said wash
strip.
7. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 1, in which one of said disks includes a second through
hole spaced radially inwardly from said first through hole, said
second through hole being aligned with a third through hole formed
through third disk, said second through hole and said third through
hole receiving a rod therethrough.
8. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 1, in which at least one of said disks has a circular
periphery.
9. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 1, in which said rod has a circular cross section.
10. An automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly
comprising: a drive shaft having a longitudinal shaft axis; a first
disk fixed relative to said drive shaft, said first disk having a
first through hole spaced radially from said shaft axis; a second
disk spaced axially from said first disk and fixed relative to said
drive shaft, said second disk having a second through hole spaced
radially from said shaft axis; a third disk interposed between said
first and second disk, said third disk having a third through hole
aligned with said first through hole in said first disk, said third
disk further having a fourth through hole aligned with said second
through hole in said second disk; a first rod extending between
said first through hole and said third through hole; a second rod
extending between said second through hole and said fourth through
hole; a first wash strip fixed to a loop wrapping around said first
rod; and a second wash strip fixed to a loop wrapping around said
second rod.
11. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 10, in which said third through hole is radially spaced
from said fourth through hole.
12. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 10, in which said drive shaft extends through a center
aperture formed in one of said first and second disks.
13. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 12, in which a hub joins said one of said first and second
disks to said drive shaft.
14. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 10, in which one of said first and second wash strips is
fixed to one side of a substrate and said loop is fixed to an
opposite side of said substrate.
15. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 14, in which a plurality of first wash strips are fixed to
said one side of said substrate and a plurality of loops are fixed
to said opposite side of said substrate, and at least some of said
plurality of loops receive first rods therethrough to fix said
first wash strips relative to said shaft axis.
16. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 10, in which said loop of said first wash strip is fixed
to one end of said first wash strip.
17. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 10, in which at least one of said first, second, and third
disks has a circular periphery.
18. The automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly as
in claim 10, in which at least one of said first and second rods
has a circular cross section.
Description
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/086,349 filed on Aug. 5,
2008, the entirety of which is fully incorporated herein by
reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] Not Applicable.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0003] This invention relates to an automatic vehicle washing
apparatus, and particularly to a wash brush suitable for use in an
apparatus for automatically washing the exterior of an automobile
or other similar vehicles.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0004] Automatic vehicle washing apparatus are well known. The
apparatus typically takes one of two generic forms. In one form, an
automobile is moved by a conveyor through successive stations at
which various washing operations take place, such as wetting,
scrubbing and rinsing. The second approach is to automatically
perform these same operations upon a stationary vehicle. The
present invention is adaptable to both forms of washing
apparatus.
[0005] Brushes in known automatic vehicle washing apparatus include
elongated wash strips formed of a flexible fabric material, such as
cotton, synthetic resin, and the like, having one end fixed to a
rotating shaft. The shaft is rotated to impinge the opposing end of
the wash strips against the vehicle. As the wash strip engages the
vehicle, dirt and grime are scrubbed off of the vehicle exterior
surface.
[0006] Affixing the wash strips to the shaft is difficult. In one
known method, one end of a strip is affixed to a rigid strip of
material, such as metal or plastic, that is received in a
longitudinal slot formed in the shaft. Affixing the strip to the
rigid strip of material is time consuming and expensive. Moreover,
slipping the rigid strip of material into the slot formed in the
shaft is also time consuming and difficult. In addition, after
extended use, the rigid strip of material can work its way out of
the slot rendering the wash strip useless. Therefore, a need exists
for a brush assembly suitable for use in an automatic vehicle
washing apparatus in which wash strips are easily and securely
affixed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention provides an automatic vehicle washing
apparatus wash brush assembly including a drive shaft having a
longitudinal shaft axis. At least two disks extend radially
relative to the shaft axis and are spaced along the shaft axis. One
of the disks has a first through hole spaced radially from the
shaft axis. The through hole is formed substantially parallel to
the shaft axis and is aligned with a corresponding hole formed in a
second disk adjacent the one of the disks. A rod extending through
the through holes is fixed relative to the shaft axis. The rod
extends through a loop fixed to a wash strip to fix the wash strip
relative to the shaft axis.
[0008] A general objective of the present invention is to provide
an automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush assembly on which
wash strips can be easily fixed. This objective is accomplished in
by providing an automatic vehicle washing apparatus wash brush
assembly having rods that extend through a loop fixed to a wash
strip to fix the wash strip relative to the shaft axis of the wash
brush assembly.
[0009] The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the
invention will appear from the following detailed description. In
the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings
which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is an end view of a vehicle wash apparatus in
accordance with the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the brush assembly of FIG. 1
partially disassembled;
[0012] FIG. 3 is perspective view of the shaft assembly of FIG. 2;
and
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the substrate/wash strip
affixed to the shaft assembly of FIG. 3;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the substrate/wash strip of
FIG. 2; and
[0015] FIG. 6 is an alternate embodiment of the wash strip affixed
to the shaft assembly of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, an automatic vehicle washing apparatus
10 includes wash brushes 12, 14 that scrub a vehicle 16, such as a
car, truck, and the like, moving past each brush 12, 14 along a
vehicle path. Water is sprayed onto the vehicle 16, and in
cooperation with the brushes 12, 14, dislodges and rinses away dirt
and grime on the vehicle 16. In FIG. 1, two rotating side brushes
12 and a single rotating top brush 14 are shown. However, any
number and combination of brushes having a rotating, reciprocating,
or static action can be used without departing from the scope of
the present invention. Moreover, the vehicle 16 can be stationary
and the brushes 12, 14 can be moved relative to the vehicle 16
without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0017] The brushes 12, 14 are substantially identical. Accordingly,
only one of the side brushes 12 will be described with the
understanding that the description applies to the other side brush
12 and top brush 14. As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the side brush 12 is an
assembly including a vertically extending rotating shaft assembly
26 mounted adjacent to the vehicle path. Upon rotation of the
brushes 12, 14, centrifugal forces urge wash strips 28 affixed to
the shaft assembly 26 radially outwardly away from the shaft
assembly 26 toward the vehicle 16 being washed.
[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shaft assembly 26 includes a
center drive shaft 34 having a longitudinal shaft axis 18 defining
an axis of rotation. In a preferred embodiment, one end 36 of the
center drive shaft 34 includes a chuck 38 for coupling to a motor
40 (shown in FIG. 1) which rotatably drives the center drive shaft
34, and thus the shaft assembly 26. Of course, the center drive
shaft 34 can be rotated using other methods known in the art, such
as belt driven, chain driven, gear driven, direct drive, and the
like.
[0019] The center drive shaft 34 supports disks 42, 44, 46 radially
extending from the shaft axis 18 and spaced along the shaft length.
Preferably, each disk 42, 44, 46 is mounted to the center drive
shaft 34 using methods known in the art, such as clamping, welding,
bolts, clips, and the like. Preferably, each disk 42, 44, 46 is
formed from a plastic material, such as UHMW, fixed to a metal hub
52, such as by bolts or other fasteners, which is fixed to the
center drive shaft 34. Although disks 42, 44, 46, such as shown in
FIGS. 2-6, having a circular periphery are preferred to minimize
material costs and balance the mass rotating about the shaft axis,
the disks can have any shape, such as geometric shape, iconic
shape, or free form, without departing from the scope of the
invention.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 3, each disk 42, 44, 46 includes a center
aperture 54 through which the center drive shaft 34 extends. A
plurality of through holes 56 radially spaced from the longitudinal
shaft axis 18 are formed through one of the disks 42. The through
holes 56 are aligned with a like number of through holes 58 formed
through the adjacent disk 44, i.e. each through hole 56 in one disk
42 is axially aligned with the corresponding through hole 58 formed
through the adjacent disk 44. Each pair of aligned through holes
56, 58 receives a rod 62 for affixing the wash strips 28 thereto.
Although a center aperture 54 formed through each disk 42, 44, 46
is preferred to accommodate a center drive shaft 34 extending the
length of the brush, the center aperture 54 can be omitted in one
or more of the disks 42, 44, 46, and other means for transmitting
torque along the length of the brush can be provided, such as
through individual shafts extending between the disks, through the
rods 62 forming offset shafts, and the like, without departing from
the scope of the invention.
[0021] In the embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 2 and 3, the center
drive shaft 34 supports three disks, an upper disk 42, an
intermediate disk 44, and a lower disk 46. The through holes 56
formed through the upper disk 42 are aligned with a first set of
through holes 58 formed through the intermediate disk 44. Likewise,
through holes 64 formed through the lower disk 46 are aligned with
a second set of through holes 66 formed through the intermediate
disk 44. The first and second sets of through holes 58, 66 formed
through the intermediate disk 44 are radially offset to maximize
the number of through holes that can receive the rods 62 extending
between the intermediate disk 44 and the upper and lower disks 42,
46. Of course, the first and second sets of through holes can be
substantially the same distance radially from the shaft axis 18
without departing from the scope of the invention with the
understanding that the number of attachment points, i.e. rods 62,
for the wash strips 28 may be reduced compared to providing
radially offset sets of through holes. Other methods of retaining
the rods axially relative to the disks can be used, such as clamps,
clips, pins, and the like without departing from the scope of the
invention.
[0022] Each rod 62 is removably received in the aligned through
holes to simplify affixing the wash strips 28 to the shaft assembly
26. As shown in FIG. 3, each rod 62 has a circular cross section to
avoid sharp edges that can damage the wash strip 28 affixed
thereto. Preferably, each rod 62 has opposing threaded ends 60 that
threadably engage threaded nuts 68 to fix the rod 62 relative to
the disks 42, 44, 46. Advantageously, removing one of the nuts 68
from one of the rod ends 60 allows the rod to be easily removed
from the disks 42, 44, 46 for mounting a wash strip 28 thereto. In
an alternate embodiment, the rods are retained in the through holes
by a removable cap plate fixed to each disk 42, 44, 46 proximal the
rod ends to prevent the rods from slipping through the through
holes receiving the rod ends. The removable cap plate can cover one
or more through holes without departing from the scope of the
invention.
[0023] The wash strips 28 are fixed to the shaft assembly 26 using
loops 78 wrapped around the rods 62. In one embodiment shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5, a distal end 72 of each wash strips 28 is fixed to
an outwardly facing side 74 of a substrate 76. Loops 78 fixed to an
opposing, inwardly facing side 82 of the substrate 76 wrap around
the rods 62 to secure the wash strips 28 relative to the shaft axis
18. In one embodiment, the substrate 76 is formed from a
non-stretching flexible material, such as a polyester vinyl
material, with the loops 78 formed from the same material is sewn
onto the outwardly facing side 74 of the substrate 76. The
substrate 76 can be formed from any material that can radially
support the loops 78 and wash strips 28, such as a composite
material, rubber, cotton, foam, and the like, without departing
from the scope of the material. Most preferably, each wash strip 28
includes a cover enclosing a sponge, such as described in U.S. Pat.
No. 6,795,996, which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
Advantageously, the sponge absorbs water that is expelled to
dislodge and remove dirt and grime on the cover.
[0024] The wash strips 28 extend radially outwardly from the
substrate 76, and can be formed from any flexible material known in
the art for washing a vehicle, such a microfiber fabric, cotton,
foam, nylon, polyester, and the like. Of course, the wash strips 28
can also be formed using one or more flexible materials without
departing from the scope of the invention. In an alternate
embodiment shown in FIG. 6, each wash strip 28 includes an
individual loop 78 forming a distal end of the wash strip 28. As in
the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4-6, each loop 78 wraps around one of
the rods 62 to affix the wash strip 28 to the shaft assembly 26.
Advantageously, the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 eliminates the need
for the substrate 76.
[0025] Referring back to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-5, the
wash strips 28 are affixed to the shaft assembly 26 by removing one
of the nuts 68 from one of the ends 60 of each rod 62 and slipping
the rod 62 through the through hole 56, 58, 66 of one of the disks
42, 44, 46 to expose a free end of the rod 62. The free end of each
rod is then slipped through one of the loops 78 of the wash strips
28 to fix the wash strip 28 relative to the shaft axis 18. The rod
free end is then slipped back through the through hole 56, 58, 66
of one of the disks 42, 44, 46 and the nut 68 is threadably engaged
with the rod free end to secure the rod 62 relative to the shaft
axis 18.
[0026] While there has been shown and described what are at present
considered the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be
obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and
modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope
of the invention defined by the appended claims. For example, the
rods can have a non-circular cross section, such as a multi-sided
geometric shape, oval, teardrop, and the like, without departing
from the scope of the invention.
* * * * *